Back to Gabs: Test, Happy Hour, Pula, Diamonds, Pots, Volunteering, Football, and Vote Oregon!

Aish! It has been a busy week in Gaborone. After arriving back at UB I started to review for an exam I had early in the week. Like most tests at UB I had heard it was to be all wrote memorization, so I memorized what I could of my notes word for word. There wasn’t a whole lot more I could do because I was never able to purchase a textbook for the course and I had no idea what the professor expected from his students as he is impossible to find and doesn’t answer questions in class(when he shows up). In the end my studying was in vain because a lot of what was on the exam were things I can assume are from the textbook so I didn’t do as well as I would have liked and continue to sit frustrated with the education system in Botswana, as it fails their students. There is a reason no white students attend UB. The test is now over and there is nothing I can do to change that. Oh well… I just have to get over it and accept my assessments here are inferior and do not represent my knowledge or ability to learn.

On a happier note, it finally rained!!! The pula fell for about ten minutes one night, but in the morning you never would have guessed that Botswana’s most precious commodity had dropped from the sky. I would have appreciated puddles or a down pour but neither came. It only reminded me I can’t wait until I don’t feel hot all of the time and have an excuse to wear rain boots.

Friday was a wonderful day. We woke up early and got to skip school to go on a field trip to the Jwaneng Diamond Mine. The open pit mine was exactly how I expected it to be except much larger. The pit itself was several kilometers across in each direction and I have no idea how deep. From the top the trucks which are used to remove the rock and take potential diamond filled chunks to crushing look about the size of a dump truck because that is what they are. In reality they are the size of a house. The wheels are more than twice as tall as me and to reach the cab you climb up a stair case. Pickups look like toys in their presence and men dolls next to a life sized truck. We were taken down to the bottom of the pit and the shown the rocks diamonds are found in. I didn’t bother looking for any (they are literally laying on the ground after blasting) because I wanted to avoid any potential temptation if I were to find one (not to sell but merely to keep as a token and add to my rock collection). Also we were not allowed to pick anything up off the ground or even kick the dirt with our boots. If they suspected you of anything you could be subject to a strip search, something I had no desire to experience. After looking at the mine, we got to go in the safe and look at loose uncut diamonds from industrial grade to clear and green diamonds of many carats. We were told green diamonds are unique to that particular mine and if you ever see them anywhere in the world they came from Jwaneng. What bothered me about the open pit mining was how wasteful it appeared to be and how dependent Botswana’s economy is on their diamonds. Jwaneng is the richest mine in the world based on the quality of their diamonds, but other than diamonds they really have nothing. That in itself makes me sad because eventually the diamonds will run out and all that will be left is a few giant holes in the ground, a lot of waste product, and a country with nothing to support itself.

Once we left the mine we stopped in Thamaga village to look at and learn about their pottery. The village is renowned for their craftsmanship and traditional pots. We were given a tour of their work rooms and kilns. The building was smaller than the ceramics studio in my high school, yet many villagers survive on the profits from the earthenware. After the tour I bought a few pieces of pottery even though I am somewhat curious as to how I will get them back to the states. All I hope is that everything returns intact and I have the opportunity to enjoy using and gifting my purchases.

Later that evening we went to a dinner and show called the “Fine Women of Jazz, Botswana”. The dinner and deserts were to die for with traditional food from Botswana, India, South Africa, and Iran. I only wish I could eat that well every day. The show on the other hand was what I like to call a cultural experience. The vocals were good, but I could never tell if the women were singing in Setswana, Kalanga, or English. Also the costumes and dancing were outrageous. It would be one thing if the women were dressed in traditional clothes, but rather they were in some ridiculous African designer’s “couture” outfits. One woman wore satin pants that were tight around her lower legs and ballooned out at her thighs, paired with a jean corset laced with ridiculous red satin ribbon. Another woman practically fell out of her shirt when it came untied during a song. In the end all I can say is that it was an experience I will not forget and shall look back upon it fondly.

Saturday was another busy day. We spent the morning with the children from SOS teaching them how to swim. This turned out to be a fantastic to wake up because really all we did was play with adolescents in a pool and make sure they didn’t drown. Everyone was nice and the water felt wonderful. We played all of the games I had almost forgotten like, “sharks and minnows”, “marco polo”, and various races from one side of the pool to the other. I am excited because for the rest of the semester we get to swim with the children as our volunteer work rather than cut cabbage and fold clothes. I enjoy interacting with them and wish we could do it more often. These children have so little I only hope swimming with them is a positive experience they can keep for the rest of their lives.

After SOS we went to lunch and then a Zebras game. The Zebras are Botswana’s national soccer team and they were playing a world cup qualifying match against Mozambique. We went all decked out in our jerseys and bandanas. The only sad thing was Botswana lost, however they deserved it as they did not play very well and I think some high school teams in the US could rival them. Also this game was meaningless as they had already been disqualified from the world cup. However it was cool to see a FIFA world cup qualifying game in Botswana especially because the next world cup is taking place in South Africa. I had been told that the Zebras over the last 2 years have been rather similar to what the Beavers were like for 30 years so as the Orange slogan goes, “Zebras for Life”. Who knows, maybe they will do something great one day?

And lastly on a side note, I received my absentee ballot which means I am sending my vote in on Monday so hopefully it can make it back to the states in time to count. If only my internet worked properly so I could look at the Oregon’s Voters Pamphlet. But I am in Africa and the expectation is that things will never work as expected, so it’s better to have no expectations.